Coming to Camp!

Getting Ready

Point CounterPoint will be even better if you’re prepared. We’ll be sending you reminders and updates weeks before your session starts. Meanwhile, here’s where you can find information about what you need and what to expect at PCP.

Packing List

We have lists of recommended things to pack (and not pack!). Check out the relevant list below:

Learn your music.

You should receive music from your session director at least a month before camp starts. That’s plenty of time to learn your part! When you receive your music, you should:

Open the files and double-check that the part is correct
Show your parts to your regular teacher or school music director
Make a practice plan. What will be the hardest thing to learn? Plan to spend the most time learning it.

Complete the Accepted Camper Forms.

It’s very important we have all these forms completed BEFORE you arrive at camp:

Camper Health and Medication Form

Here’s where you’ll let us know about any health conditions, allergies, medications, or physical needs before camp starts, as well as insurance information and emergency contacts.

Camper Letter to Counselors

This is some questions to be answered by you, the camper – about what you like to do, what you’re looking forward to at PCP, and what you might be worried about. This really helps us get to know you and plan for the best possible session!

Caregiver Letter to Counselors

We ask that caregivers answer questions about their campers, to get their perspectives on what campers might need from us, or find challenging about life at camp.

Arrival at Camp

Here’s how we start every session, and what the first day of camp is like:

Check-in procedures

On the first Sunday, all campers arrive at PCP and check in at the check-in table. Caregivers and campers will both be asked to sign forms including a medical release, a media release, and an acknowledgment of our behavior policies for campers. Please have any camper medications in a clear Ziploc bag, ready to be given to staff at check-in.

After you check in, you’ll meet your counselors, who will unload your car and/or take your luggage to your cabins. Campers will say good-bye to their parents at their cars…no need to come on campus!

After check-in, we’ll have icebreaker games in the field, followed by dinner and a meeting with your session faculty members. You’ll have a meeting with your cabinmates later to create your own cabin rules. There will be time for games and relaxing before bedtime….and bedtime is strict, because we start rehearsals early on Monday!

Mail for Campers at PCP

It’s very important that campers do not receive food in care packages while at PCP. Our cabins are rustic, and food attracts unwelcome critters! Otherwise, our campers love receiving letters, postcards, and small feel-good presents from home. Send non-snack items to:

Camper Name
c/o Point CounterPoint
1361 Hooker Road
Leicester, VT 05733

Any food or candy sent to campers will be confiscated and returned to the campers at the end of their session. You’re also welcome to mail forgotten items to campers. It’s possible that PCP can pick up a replacement (toiletries, medication) which might be faster than waiting for your item to arrive in the mail.

A Typical Day at PCP

6:30am	Optional morning jog or swim
7:30am	Wake up!
8am	Breakfast, followed by morning jobs
9am	Morning rehearsals, coachings, and lessons
12:30pm	Lunch
1-2pm	“Grand Pause”
2pm	Afternoon activities and games
~4pm	Late afternoon rehearsals and coachings
6pm	Dinner
7pm	After dinner music or activities
8:30-9pm	Back to cabins, relaxing with cabinmates, good night!

Activities at PCP

Music

Mornings, most afternoons, and some evenings at PCP are devoted to music: rehearsals, lessons, coachings, and practice. Campers are expected to attend all rehearsals, lessons, and practice periods. Music is why we’re here!

Cabin Jobs

Every camper will be responsible for a small but important job every day, to help keep PCP clean and functional. This might be sweeping your cabin, helping clean up after meals, tidying the campus grounds, or many other things. All campers are expected to do their jobs, because we work together as a community to keep PCP clean and beautiful.

“Grand Pause”

Every day after lunch, we go back to our bunks to read, rest, write letters home…even nap! It’s a welcome break from the busyness of the rest of the day.

Activities

We have time for fun and relaxing every day at PCP. Our afternoons are filled with swimming, soccer, arts and crafts, and fun tournaments like cards or ping-pong. Sessions 1-4 go on field trips once a week, including hiking, dancing, and exploring the area.

Evening Activities

Evenings feature music activities, including master classes and group sightreading, plus attending the faculty concert; and sometimes fun activities, including card games, karaoke, and making cookies in the kitchen. And don’t forget s’mores around the campfire!

Food at PCP

We take great pride in the food we serve at PCP. Our food is locally sourced, fresh, and delicious, with an emphasis on well-balanced meals. We serve vegetarian and dairy-free options every day, and our entire facility is nut-free. We make every effort to accommodate campers with allergies and other dietary needs. Please list on our if your camper has special dietary needs or restrictions; we’ll do what we can to work with you to make sure they’re well-fed!

Some of our most popular foods are:

Jessica’s mango salsa
Lois’s maple pie
Melissa’s muffins
Taco bar night
Farm-fresh apples, pears, and plums for snacks between meals
And the world’s best local Vermont chocolate milk!

Concerts at PCP!

faculty concert

This takes place on the first Friday night of each session. Faculty members will perform great classical works, plus adventurous new works, for a public audience (including all our campers).

Mid-session Concert

Halfway through each session, our campers give a “works-in-progress” performance of their pieces. This is a private concert for campers and faculty, but we also livestream it for family and friends to hear!

Final Concert

All campers perform for their friends, family, and the public at the end of the session, showing off the music they’ve worked hard to get ready!

videos of past concerts on youtube

You can listen to some of our past final camper concerts on Point CounterPoint’s YouTube channel.

Leaving Camp

The last day of camp is very busy, with our campers finishing packing and getting ready for the final concert. Here’s what to expect!

check-out

Check-out is the last Saturday of the session, from 10:00AM to noon. Before leaving for the final concert (or lunch), campers’ families need to check them out. Please follow signs to the check-out area, where you can pay for any incidental costs your camper needs to cover! This usually includes:

Laundry costs. We send out laundry for all campers once, halfway through each session. Laundry is washed, dried and folded at a local laundromat and returned the same day.
PCP Swag! You may want to grab PCP t-shirts, hoodies, hats, or playing cards…they’re super awesome!
Incidental costs (items from the drug store, etc.)

If your camper has medications kept at camp, you’ll pick them up at check-out.

Once you’re checked out, please load your camper’s luggage into your vehicle. Double-check the cabins for anything left behind! Your camper will be happy to show you around, including down to the beach and dock.

after check-out

Families of campers should leave camp without their campers around 12PM at the latest. Meanwhile, campers will stay at PCP until 12PM, and then take the bus together to the Salisbury Congregational Church, where they will have one last lunch together before the concert. Campers will only keep D.W.I.M with them for the bus ride to the Church:

D = Dressed for performance
W = Water bottle
I = Instrument
M = Music for the concert

We suggest that families go to get lunch in the area after packing their campers and before the concert. There are several food options in nearby Brandon or Middlebury, and we’re happy to make suggestions.

Concert

The Final Camper Concert in each session is at 1PM on the last day of the session. All final concerts take place at the Salisbury Congregational Church in nearby Salisbury, Vermont (about 3 miles from camp). Salisbury Congregational Church is a historic building dating back to the 1860s, and does not have air conditioning. Bathrooms are somewhat limited at the Church, so please plan accordingly.

After the concert, everyone gathers on the lawn for photos, congratulations, and tearful farewells…until next summer!

Questions?

Read the FAQs below, or email pointcp@gmail.com with any questions about coming to PCP!

FAQs about Camp Life

Because phone calls with parents tend to make settling into camp more difficult, we only allow campers to call their parents under exceptional circumstances, such as medical emergencies or urgent circumstances that require parents be consulted. We generally don’t allow campers to call home because of homesickness…it will only make it worse! Likewise, we don’t allow parents to speak to campers on the phone just to “check in” during camp. In our experience, homesickness gets better when you focus on having a great time at camp!

Parents (and family, friends, and other guests) are not allowed to visit during camp. In fact, parents aren’t allowed on campus at all (except in an emergency) until the final day of camp and check-out time.

Of course! Please let PCP staff know if you are a camper who needs to your parent to mail you something. We’ll get in touch with them immediately. It’s possible that PCP can pick up a replacement (toiletries, medication) which might be faster than waiting for your item to arrive in the mail.

Yikes! That happens, believe it or not. We’ll work with campers and parents to get forgotten instruments delivered as quickly as possible. PCP does NOT have string instruments for campers to borrow.

No, we do not allow campers to receive food in the mail. Food in the cabins attracts critters, and that creates a real problem for everyone. We also discourage campers from taking food from the Rec Hall back to their cabins, for the same reason.

Point CounterPoint is intentionally an “unplugged” program. We do not allow campers to have phones or laptops, except under very specific circumstances, such as therapy with a counselor or other medical needs. We do not accommodate online classes or non-PCP activities that require extensive screen time during camp.

Campers are welcome to bring MP3 players or other non-networked music players for their personal use. Often, cabinmates create a shared playlist for nighttime and downtime listening.